The five P.D. James novels you should read

James’s first and only foray into dystopian fiction is set in 2021, when mass infertility has led the human race to the brink of extinction. The last generation to be born are known as “Omegas”, and England has become a brutal dictatorship. The hero, Theo, is approached by a dissident group and introduced to a young woman who, miraculously, is pregnant. The story was turned into a 2006 film directed by Alfonso Cuaron and starring Clive Owen. James described it as “a grim book”.